Chapter 13 — Special needs schools and residential services

Witnesses

Thirty seven (37) witnesses reported being placed in a special needs school from their family home following assessment of their particular learning or treatment needs. Six (6) of those admissions were reported to have occurred in the context of family breakdown occasioned by parental death, serious illness or marital separation. Six (6) of the 37 witnesses reported that they had started attending local primary schools where their learning difficulties were first recognised. In most instances the witnesses were the only members of their family to be placed in an institution.

The other 21 witnesses reported being placed in special needs schools for a variety of reasons, 17 had more than one previous placement and had been in residential facilities since early childhood. Eight (8) of these 17 witnesses reported that they were born to single mothers and had been in residential institutions since birth, five of whom were admitted to special needs services from Industrial Schools or Children’s Homes and three were admitted from mother and baby homes or county homes. Six (6) witnesses did not know or were unable to report on the circumstances that led to their placement in residential facilities; in three instances accompanying care workers confirmed that nothing was known and no records were available regarding the witnesses’ early life history.

The following table indicates the age at which witnesses were first admitted to out-of-home care including admissions to other facilities prior to a special needs service:

Age of first admission	Males	Females	Total witnesses
0–5 years	15	13	28
6–10 years	14	2	16
11–15 years	9	3	12
16+ years	1	1	2
Total	39	19	58

Twenty eight (28) witnesses reported being admitted to a residential facility for the first time before the age of six years and 30 witnesses reported being in residential facilities for more than 10 years, as the next table indicates:

Number of years in care	Males	Females	Total witnesses
0–5 years	6	1	7
6–10 years	16	5	21
11–15 years	11	12	23
16+ years	6	1	7
Total	39	19	58

The length of time witnesses reported spending in school and residential services varied. On the basis of information provided this variation could be understood to have been influenced by the witnesses’ age when first admitted, the different reasons for their admission and their family circumstances. The average length of stay in residential care reported by the witnesses from special needs schools and services was 11 years. It is important to note that not all of the time indicated was spent in special needs facilities, it also included time spent in mother and baby homes, children’s homes and other residential services.

While more than half of the witnesses were admitted to the schools and residential services from their family homes, and had living relatives, they reported having spent most of their childhoods in institutions. The majority of specialist facilities and treatment services were centrally located during the period covered by this Report. At the time it was common for both children and adults from rural and provincial areas to travel long distances for specialist treatment. Care and residential services were, consequently, a practical necessity. As the following table shows, almost half of the witnesses reported being over 18 years of age when they were discharged from those residential facilities:

Age when discharged	Males	Females	Total witnesses
<15 years	8	1	9
16 years	6	2	8
17 years	6	7	13
18+ years	19	9	28
Total	39	19	58

Twenty five (25) of the 28 witnesses who reported being discharged when they were over 18 years of age also reported having remained in supported accommodation placements for most of their adult lives. In many instances these accommodation facilities were provided by the same organisations who managed the special needs services where the witnesses had been admitted as children. The accounts of abuse included in this report occurred when the witness was under 18 years of age, in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

The nature and extent of abuse reported by witnesses varied, and reports included descriptions of single incidents of abuse and accounts of multiple experiences of being abused over long periods of time.

Most of the facilities were the subject of more than one witness report: Nine (9) special needs facilities were each the subject of 4–12 reports, totalling 54 reports. Five (5) facilities were each the subject of a single report.

Forty one (41) witnesses reported abuse over a 35-year period prior to 1970 and the remaining 17 witnesses gave evidence in relation to their admissions throughout the 1970s, 1980s and the early 1990s.

Witnesses reported the four abuse types as defined by the Acts4: physical and sexual abuse, neglect and emotional abuse. Abuse reports included single incidents of abuse and combinations of abuse as follows: Forty eight (48) witnesses reported physical abuse. Thirty six (36) witnesses reported sexual abuse. Twenty five (25) witnesses reported neglect. Twenty four (24) witnesses reported emotional abuse.

Combinations of the four abuse types were reported in the order of frequency shown below:

Abuse types and combinations	Number of reports
Physical and sexual	13
Physical, neglect and emotional	11
Physical, sexual, neglect and emotional	9
Physical	9
Sexual	9
Physical, sexual and neglect	2
Physical, sexual and emotional	2
Physical and neglect	1
Physical and emotional	1
Sexual and neglect	1
Neglect and emotional	1
Total	59

As shown, the most frequently reported abuse combination was physical and sexual abuse, of which there were 13 reports. There were a further nine reports of physical and sexual abuse combined with emotional abuse and neglect. In all, 26 witnesses reported being both physically and sexually abused in facilities for children with special needs.

Physical abuse

The wilful, reckless or negligent infliction of physical injury on, or failure to prevent such injury to, the child.5 This section describes reports of physical abuse, non-accidental injury and lack of protection from such abuse given in evidence by witnesses to the Committee. The forms of physical abuse reported included hitting, punching, kicking, beating, bodily assault with implements, and immersion in water. The Committee heard accounts of assaults that were so severe that injuries were caused which required medical intervention.

There were 48 reports of physical abuse from 32 male and 16 female witnesses in relation to 13 of the 14 special needs schools and facilities reported in this category. Twenty eight (28) reports related to experiences in schools and facilities for children with intellectual disabilities. Nine (9) facilities were the subject of between two and 10 reports, totalling 43 reports. Five (5) facilities were each the subject of single reports.